May 31, 2012

OXFORD, Miss. – First-year Ole Miss women’s basketball head coach Adrian Wiggins has announced the addition of the 2012 WBCA National Junior College Player of the Year and All-American, Sha’Kayla Caples (Vicksburg, Miss.), to his roster. 

Caples will be a junior at Ole Miss and will have two years of eligibility with the Rebels. 

A 5’11 forward who played two years for current Ole Miss assistant coach and coordinator of operations, Kenya and Michael Landers the last two seasons, Caples comes to Ole Miss from Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) in Athens, Texas.

At TVCC, Caples led the team to a national championship as a sophomore in 2012 and a runner-up finish as a freshman in 2011.  In addition to being named the National Junior College Player of the Year by the WBCA in 2012, Caples also picked up several other honors including being named a two-time WBCA first-team All-American, the Most Valuable Player in Region XIV for the second consecutive year, and an All-Region and All-Conference honoree.  She finished her career at TVCC with a 70-3 record.   

As a sophomore last season, she averaged nearly 20 points per game while playing in 24 contests.  Caples averaged a Region XIV Conference leading19.4 points per game while also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per game. In addition, she shot an impressive 46 percent from the floor (182-395), 86 percent from the free throw line (67-87) and 42 percent from the three-point line (35-84).     

As a freshman at TVCC in 2010, Caples averaged 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game.  She shot 51 percent from the floor (191-375) and 80 percent from the free throw line (66-83). 

“We are ecstatic to welcome Sha’Kayla to the Ole Miss family,” Wiggins said.  “She is a proven winner who will be instrumental in helping the resurrection of Rebels women’s basketball in the SEC.  The comfort of having played for the Landers’ and the knowledge of our expectations should make the transition to our program a smooth one for everyone.  I know her family is excited to see her playing in Mississippi.”

Caples will join two other newcomers for the Rebels for the 2012-13 season in junior college transfers Brandy Broome (Natchitoches, La./Pensacola (Fla.) State College) and Diara Moore (Cedar Hill, Texas/Independence (Kan.) Community College/University of Kansas).